Christian Brother Francis Matthew Popish, who taught at Damien Memorial School for more than two decades, died after a brief illness July 19 at Hale Nani Nursing Home where he had been living since January.
He was 85 and had just celebrated his 70th anniversary of religious life.
His funeral is Aug. 10 in the St. Damien Chapel on the school campus beginning with 11 a.m. viewing followed by Mass at noon and burial at Hawaiian Memorial Park in Kaneohe.
Francis Matthew Popish was born on March 11, 1928, in Butte, Mont. He entered the Christian Brothers Juniorate in West Park, N.Y., in 1943 and began his long teaching career in 1947 in Vancouver, B.C.
Prior to his arrival at Damien Memorial High School in 1975, Brother Popish was a teacher or principal at schools in Vancouver; Montebello, Calif.; Seattle; Chicago; and Birmingham, Mich.
At Damien, he taught history and Latin and coached the golf team.
Father Joseph Grimaldi, who was principal of Damien when Father Popish arrived and who also worked alongside him in Michigan, remembered him as a “good teacher and counselor” and well liked by the students.
“He also loved to coach bowling, which was very popular at the time,” Father Grimaldi said.
In retirement, Father Grimaldi said Brother Popish “was always very helpful with the brothers. He was great to be in community with.”
“He offered the kids an opportunity to practice charity in his old age,” he said, because they were always around to help him out with his various duties.
“He had a special bond with them,” he said.
In 1997, after 22 years teaching at Damien, he retired from education and continued to reside with the Damien Memorial Community in Honolulu, shopping for groceries and cooking for the half-dozen brothers who lived there. He would also drop by the school office, substitute for absent teachers, proctor standardized testing sessions and help out in various school activities.
Brother Popish also found the time for frequent walks on the beach.
On the occasion of his 70th jubilee this year, he wrote, “My years in ministry were most fulfilling. I look back over the years and find no regrets.”
“I thank God everyday for the years I have spent in his service,” he said. “I am now reaping the hundredfold promised when we joined God’s service.”
Brother Popish is survived by his nephew Roy Baucom of Nevada and cousins Jim Konen and Betty DiFronzo of Montana.
In lieu of flowers, send donations to the Christian Brothers’ Retirement Fund, 1401 Houghtailing Street, Honolulu, HI, 96817.
